


The Curious Case of The Golden Orb

by TheHeroOfHeroes



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:40:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28065609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheHeroOfHeroes/pseuds/TheHeroOfHeroes
Summary: This is a sequel to the sidefic "The Captain's True Self"This was a short story I wanted to work on for some time now. It uses my OC and Warriors and occurs somewhere between Tome 1 and Tome 2 of my main story, Adventure of A Lifetime. It does refer to things that happened in Tome 1, so if you have not read Tome 1 yet, I highly recommend doing that first!After townsfolk in Hyrule's era complain of their livestock being preyed upon by mysterious beasts, the group goes hunting for the culprit by visiting a strange cave.  Once there, the group is forced to solve strange riddles by a disembodied voice that has trapped them and rendered The Historian unable to speak!
Relationships: Warriors & OC (Linked Universe)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	The Curious Case of The Golden Orb

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Celadonbi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celadonbi/gifts), [Kishis_Mischief](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kishis_Mischief/gifts).



“Where are we going again?” Warriors asked.

“It’s a cave just north of the village!” Hyrule explained.

“Why are we suddenly going there?” Four inquired.

“The townsfolk said there’s are monsters that hide in the cave during the day and comes out at night to prey on their livestock. I figured we could help them out by taking care of the creatures for them,” Hyrule shrugged.

“Honestly, Traveler, you just can’t help yourself, can you?” Legend sighed, making his successor blush with a tinge of embarrassment.

“I thought this endeavor was the accepted definition of being a hero, Vet,” The Historian smirked. “Surely, you won’t turn down the plight of the people of Hyrule.”

“Historian’s right. We have a mission, but we can’t ignore this predicament they’re in,” Time added.

“Well, what are we waitin’ for? Let’s get going!” Wind chirped excitedly, urging the group to increase their pace towards the cave.

=====

Almost an hour later according to the Sheikah Slates, the group arrived at a clearing amidst the thick growth of evergreen trees and shrubs, the sound of dead pine straw and pinecones crunched under their boots in their approach. Opposite the heroes a solid wall of rock jetted upwards as part of the silent mountain’s face. Aside from the rustling of the trees in the wind and the occasional bird call, the area was eerily silent. A single cave entrance bore into the vertical rock wall. The Historian suspected this cave had been artificially created, as the symmetrical arch of the entrance could not have been a natural occurrence.

“I’ve been in many caves, but this one is giving me the most foreboding vibes out of any I’ve explored,” Hyrule shivered.

“I’m with Traveler. This is worst than the Earth Temple in my time!” Wind mumbled, keeping his sword hand ready on the grip of his Phantom Sword to keep his nerves.

“What’s with you two all of a sudden? Where’s that sense of adventure you two are always going on about?” Legend teased, although the light sheen of nervous sweat upon his brow was not lost on The Historian or on Warriors.

“Vet, you don’t look too good yourself. Care to sit this one out with Traveler and Sailor?” The Captain poked with a mischievous grin, knowing that statement would be all it took to coerce Legend into action.

“As if, fool,” The Veteran replied as he stomped toward the cave, but an arm in a black coat thrust outward to halt him.

“No, we can’t go rushing in headfirst. Hyrule and Wind have the right of this,” The Historian said quietly.

“Well, what do you suggest we do? We can’t turn back now like a bunch of cowards,” Four huffed.

“I’m not suggesting we turn tail,” The Historian replied. “But I am suggesting we tread cautiously. I can’t put my finger on it, but there is something… ominous in there. Remember, caves and mines have not been kind to our group in the past, so if we’re going to do this, let’s do it properly and with prudence,” The Historian explained, his tone serious and quiet. Without a word, The Historian stepped silently towards the entrance of the cave. The other heroes were not surprised to see Warriors quietly following right behind his person, ready to protect The Historian at a moment’s notice.

“Those two just need to admit they’re together already,” Legend shrugged. Although he thought both men were hopeless idiots, he was happy for them just the same and admittedly envious since he would probably never experience the same feelings ever again.

“Yeah, but we’ve already had this conversation with them. If they’re not together right now for whatever reason then that’s their business,” Time smiled.

“I don’t see how they can still say that. They’re all about each other so much it’s sickening,” Twilight said tiredly. “Honestly, I know they’re waiting till Historian can fulfill whatever promise he made to someone from his past, but this is getting ridiculous.”

“Pup, once you’re in a relationship someday, you’ll understand that relationships don’t necessarily make sense, but a good one is based on trust, and those two have quickly come to trust one another, just as Malon and I do,” Time continued.

“I know, Time, but still. Even I can tell they have eyes for no one else. I just don’t see the benefit of waiting to call it what it is,” Twilight huffed.

“What do you expect? They’re two whole idiots,” Wind giggled, causing Hyrule to also laugh.

“That they are,” Time chuckled as he and the rest of the heroes followed their idiots into the cave.

=====

The cave slopped downward with a series of ornately carved steps. The sunlight from the outside quickly diminished, forcing the heroes to light their lanterns and torches. The Historian invoked Benevolence’s power to summon a small orb of light to follow him.

“This ‘monster’ apparently has decadent taste,” The Historian mumbled to Warriors.

“What if it’s not a monster at all? Or what if the monster is only doing the bidding of some master we don’t know about,” Warriors suggested, frowning at the thought of another deranged person and their ‘pets.’

“Perhaps, but I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough,” The Historian replied. Warriors observed stiffness in his person’s movements, evidence of feeling on edge. Seeing the opportunity to comfort, The Captain wrapped his arm around the smaller man.

“Everything’s going to be fine, hon,” Warriors whispered into the man’s ear before taking a quick peck at The Historian’s soft neck, receiving a soft whimper in response.

“I know. This place just reminds me of the T'ardtibus mine we were in. That experience is something I’d like to never repeat,” The Historian whispered.

The two men led the group into a large square chamber, illuminated with sconces hung in evenly spaced intervals on either side of the room. The ceiling was so high up that none of the light sources in the room were strong enough to pierce the darkness above. On the stone floor was a strange marking; a square with arrows radiating outward to five smaller circles, each with a symbol in the center. The square itself contained a curious string of characters.

“Any idea what it says, Historian?” Time inquired. The smaller man adjusted Benevolence’s light so he could scrutinize the symbols more closely while the heroes silently looked on. Sky came over to take a closer look to satisfy his curiosity.

“I’m surprised I can’t actually read that,” Sky said, perplexed by the familiar yet unfamiliar Hylian script etched onto the stone floor.

“This is old Hylian, used a century or two after the initial founding of Hyrule, so it would have developed as a written language after your time, Sky,” The Historian explained as he gently ran his fingertips across the stone surface. “I’m a bit less experienced with this form of Hylian, but I believe it says ‘GAME’.”

A sudden blast of humid air blew down from the darkened ceiling above, causing the men to flinch from the abruptness.

“Hehehehe…” a high-pitched voice giggled. “Well done on discovering this place, humans. It’s been a long, long time since the likes of man has dared to enter my lair.”

“We’re honored to be here. Can we see whom we are speaking to?” The Historian called out, receiving raucous laughter in response. The creature’s voice sounded more and more demonic as it laughed.

“You’re most amusing, human. You must be an educated one. It’s no wonder you could discern the ancient lettering so easily. How about we play a game? If you win, you will receive an amazing treasure. If you lose, I get to devour all of you, body and soul.”

“Why would you want to devour us in the first place?” Legend shouted grumpily. “I have grown tired of the scraps my creations scavenge for me from the village below. I haven’t feasted upon a complete human in ages. Your arrival here is a prime opportunity for me, but I am fair. I shall win your flesh.”

“What is this game?” Time replied.

“It is simple enough. It is composed of five riddles of varying difficulty. Solve all five and you win…” the voice said menacingly, sending a cold shiver down The Historian’s spine. There was more to this game than the demon was leading on. No one spoke up at first, causing the demon to lose patience.

“Refusing me?” the creature called out. “Well, it’s not like any of you have a choice. I control this place, and you are firmly in my grasp!” With a loud bang, a stone slab fell, sealing off the stairs they descended from earlier.

“Now you have no choice but to play my little game, friends.” The demon continued laughing as the heroes pulled out their weapons, but The Historian glanced at them.

“Put those away. They won’t help you. The only way out of here is to beat his stupid game,” The Historian explained.

“Ha! Your friend is right, heroes! Let’s make this more interesting. Since you’re the studious one, you’ll play the silent observer while your friend’s try to solve the puzzles.”

“Wha-AHHHHH!”

A flash of bright purple light engulfed the room. Panicked ensued as The Historian’s screams faded.

“NO!” Warriors shouted, trying to find his way to his person in the blinding light.

=====

The light faded several minutes later. Warriors was on his knees in the center of the room as the other heroes surrounded him, unsure of how to console him as he cried, his emotions a whirlwind of sadness and anger. In The Captain’s arms was a small creature covered in soft fur, its guard hair a deep, chocolate brown while its undercoat was a lighter tan tint. The animal’s face had coloration that resembled an eye mask, with chocolate brown surrounding its closed eyes. Across the animal’s snout was a line of fur of a lighter color that resembled a scar. The creature was wearing a miniaturized version of The Historian’s hooded black and red coat, completed with small red tassels, that ran from its shoulders down to the base of its fluffy tail. Strapped to the creature’s back was one of The Historian’s signature daggers.

“This can’t be happening…” Wind whispered, unsure what to think.

“What in Hylia’s name…” Wild said breathlessly.

“He’s been turned into a ferret?!” Legend cried. Historian The Ferret lay unconscious in Warriors’ arms. Had it not been for their precarious situation, The Veteran would find this extremely funny. Seeing Warriors’ clinched teeth and streaks of tears kept Legend from finding anything humorous about the situation.

“What have you done?!” Twilight yelled. The demon laughed at the outburst.

“The fool is too smart for his own good. That form suits his curiosity quite well, don’t you think?” the voice teased maliciously.

“Don’t you DARE talk about him like that!” Warriors shouted angrily, swiftly turning to Sky.

“Sky! The Master Sword!” Warriors shouted. Before Sky could toss the sword to The Captain, the room began to quake, throwing all the heroes off their balance.

“I DON’T THINK SO!” the demon roared as more purple light engulfed the entire room.

=====

“Unngh…”

Warriors’ head pounded as he lifted himself up from the stone floor.

“What happened?” he thought aloud. Looking around, several of his fellow heroes seemed to be missing.

“Wind? Vet?” he called while scanning the room. Spread out along the floor, he noticed the unconscious bodies of Hyrule, Four, and Wild. Getting to his feet, Warriors stammered over to each of them, shaking them awake. He had to be quick not to get a fist in his face from Wild, as The Champion tended to want to fight coming out of sleep.

“Where is everyone?” Hyrule asked, worry etched onto his face. Warriors assumed it was his concern for his mentor, Legend.

“I don’t know. Wait… where’s Historian?”

Warriors felt his face go pale. Where was his person? Scanning around, he noticed the small creature from earlier looking at the etched circle to the left of the square on the floor. The circle was glowing with a blue light reminiscent of the Sheikah Slates. As Warriors carefully approached, he noticed the ferret behaving very unlike a ferret, sitting up on its haunches and holding its chin with its paw as if lost in deep thought.

“H-Historian?” Warriors mumbled, noticing the ferret’s rounded ears perk up before turning to face The Captain. Warriors eyes went wide as he gazed into the ferret’s intense eyes. The ferret’s right eye was bright green while the other was sky blue.

“It is you…” Warriors whispered, feeling a tightness in his throat as he took a knee in front of the ferret. Seeing The Captain was on the verge of tears, the ferret raced to Warriors, rubbing his soft head on The Captain’s leg.

“I’m sorry I let this happen… damn it all…” Warriors choked back a sob as he covered his eyes with his hand. A sudden nip to a fingertip on his free hand, although not enough to draw blood, grabbed The Captain’s attention. “Ouch!” Warriors looked down with confusion as the ferret gave him an intense, remarkably familiar gaze. The creature shook its head as if to tell The Captain to stop his crying.

“Heh… I’m sorry. You’re right, hon. I can’t let myself go to pieces like this,” Warriors chuckled as he wiped away his tears. Gently grabbing the ferret and holding it close to his chest, Warriors stroked the animal’s fur.

“I promise to find a way to undo this. I promise,” Warriors whispered, hearing a guttural clucking noise from the small animal as it gently rubbed its head on The Captain’s chest. He looked down at the glowing circle.

“What does this mean?” Warriors mumbled aloud as the other three heroes joined him.

“Maybe we’re supposed to step on it? Perhaps that starts the game?” Hyrule suggested.

“It could also be a trap,” Four surmised.

“Well, we can’t wait around debating it. The others are gone and for all we know they need our help!” Wild huffed.

Before Warriors could ponder the glowing circle further, the ferret bumped his chest with its head to get its attention.

“Hmm? What is it, babe?”

The ferret swiftly jumped from Warriors arms, landing with finesse on the stone floor. Without pause, the ferret ran into the light of the circle and disappeared.

“Wait, hon!” Warriors objected as he pursued the animal into the light. Seeing The Captain’s action as an invitation to go, the others followed suit.

=====

As Warriors, Four, Hyrule, and Wild stepped out of the light, they were presented with a room similar to the room they had just left. In the center of the floor was an inscription in the same ancient Hylian as before. Historian The Ferret was staring pensively at the lettering. Each of the heroes found it quite amusing to see a ferret ‘studying’ anything like a human would.

“Damn… we can’t read that text and with The Historian unable to speak, we’re in for a difficult time,” Wild mumbled. No sooner had he expressed his frustration when the sound of metallic scraping on stone reached the heroes’ ears. The ferret was holding its dagger firmly in its powerful jaws, carefully scraping the weapon’s tip in specific patterns along the floor just beneath each ancient Hylian character.

“Wait, is he transcribing it for us?” Four exclaimed as he watched the ferret with interest.

“I think so!” Warriors said excitedly, unable to stop the proud smile on his face as he watched his person work.

“Well, I hope his dagger survive this ordeal. I don’t think I’d have the materials to fix them,” the smith replied.

A few moments later, the heroes carefully read the transcribed text Historian The Ferret provided.

“What do you throw out when you want to use it but take in when you don’t want to use it?” Warriors read aloud.

“What tha? Is that all we get?” Four whined.

“You’ve got me… I’m no good at riddles like this,” Hyrule said sadly. He and the other heroes noticed the ferret standing on his haunches once again, appearing to think intensely. They were surprised to see the ferret chirp with excitement. Turning to the heroes, the ferret began to draw on a blank area of stone using the dagger.

“Um, hon? I’m not sure what it is your trying to tell us,” Warriors mumbled, trying extremely hard not to laugh at his person-turned-ferret. Historian The Ferret continued to draw while the others attempted to interpret the message.

“I don’t know what that is. Perhaps, his drawing skills just aren’t that good…” Four teased, earning a glare from the ferret before it continued its work.

“Wait! I think I got it!” Wild exclaimed, prompting the ferret to stop drawing.

“An anchor. Am I right?” The Champion asked, smiling brightly when the ferret nodding in a human-like manner. Upon Wild’s declaration of an answer, the original symbols to the riddle began to glow purple before emitting a viscous, black smoke, coalescing into a ball before starting to form into a more familiar shape.

“Watch it!” Warriors yelled, earning an audible squeak from Historian The Ferret as he picked up the animal to join the heroes backing away. The ball of darkness began to morph into a winged, bug-like creature. The bug’s singular, yellow eye gazed menacingly at them with a green and red pupil while the rest of its body finished forming. Upon completion, the monster’s upper wings were a dazzling green, red, and purple while its lower wings were predominantly purple and grey, with each set of wings’ coloring resembling patterns typically found on moths. The creature’s body was pitch black save for its blue and red thorax, with fuzzy, leaf-shaped antennae upon its head. The moth was easily the size of a horse.

“Alright, ideas anyone?” Four asked as he brandished his Four Sword. Hyrule followed suit with his Magic Sword.

“I got one!” Wild said before releasing a nocked Fire Arrow from his bow, nearly hitting the moth-like monster’s wing as it dodged and took flight. “Blast!”

Warriors set Historian The Ferret down behind the group so he could take out his Knight’s Sword and his shield.

“Remember to protect The Historian!” Warriors ordered, earning a nod from the other three heroes as the gigantic moth flew straight at them, releasing strange larvae in its wake.

“We gotta keep those bugs in check!” Warriors shouted, readying himself to dodge as the moth dove for the group. Just as the moth was about to make impact, the moth screamed in pain. Warriors watched in surprise as the moth’s top set of wings sheered off at their base causing the creature to fall hard onto the floor in front of them. Behind the fallen moth was Historian The Ferret, on all fours with its tail raised high and its fur standing on end, reminiscent of a hissing cat. The small creature was tightly holding its dagger with its mouth as purple blood dripped from the blade.

“I didn’t know a ferret could be so vicious,” Hyrule admitted as the ferret’s multihued eyes fiercely stared at its target. Detecting the new threat, the moth’s larvae began to quickly enclose on the small animal.

“Hon, look out!” Warriors cried, trying to make his way over to the ferret but himself was surrounded by the moth’s calf-sized larvae. In a flash, The Captain was blinded by a warm light, but his ears picked up screaming from the monsters in the room. Squinting to see what was happening, Warriors noticed familiar orbs of Benevolence’s light bombarding the creatures in the room, vaporizing them into puffs of black smoke.

With the larvae dispatched, the downed moth was all that remained, pushing itself up as it turned to face the predator that killed its children. The moth’s eye turned a blood shade of red as it swiftly closed the gap between itself and Historian The Ferret, which was defiantly standing its ground. Just as the moth was about to bite down upon the furry creature, a sword stabbed straight through the top of the moth’s head.

“Get away from him, wretched beast,” Warriors said viciously, a glint of anger in his eyes as he shoved the sword’s blade even further into the monster, eliciting pained screams and tremors from the moth. Not waiting for the moth to move, Warriors withdrew his sword from the monster’s body before sending the moth into the wall with a powerful kick, causing the monster to vanish in a burst of black smoke.

“Hon, are you okay?” Warriors whispered softly. The ferret sheathed the dagger, quite skillfully in Warriors’ eyes, before running into The Captain’s arms to affectionately lick the hero’s face.

“Well, that was unexpected. I did not expect The Historian to be capable of fighting in that form. That was interesting,” Four commented.

“Are you kidding me? That was amazing!” Wild cried.

“I have to say that was pretty awesome,” Hyrule agreed.

The characters of the riddle on the floor dimmed as a body appeared in a glow of pale light.

“Sailor!”

“Nngh… Where am I?” Wind mumbled, slowly getting to his feet with Hyrule and Wild’s assistance.

“You’re going to be fine, Wind,” Hyrule said gently as he uncorked a Red Potion for the boy to drink.

“Ugh… thanks, ‘Rule,” Wind said once finished chugging the medicine. He noticed Warriors holding the ferret.

“So, The Historian is a ferret now, huh?” the boy asked.

“Not just any ferret, but a fighting ferret! He was wiping the floor with those moth creatures!” Wild said excitedly.

“Really? Wish I could’ve seen it…” Wind replied.

“Well, if rescuing you is any indication, we’ll probably need his help to rescue the others too,” Hyrule explained. A portal of light appeared in the center of the room, indicating the possible way out.

“Well, if I didn’t know any better, that is our way back to the main chamber,” Hyrule said.

“I can second that,” Wind added.

“Well, let’s go gentlemen,” Warriors replied, taking the lead as he stepped into the portal’s light with Historian The Ferret around his neck.

=====

Upon returning to the main chamber, the heroes noticed the next circle clockwise to the first one they inspected had begun to glow.

“I guess this is what we’re supposed to do. As we finish one riddle and defeat that chamber’s creature, we unlock the next one,” Hyrule deduced. Historian The Ferret nodded in agreement before jumping down to the floor and running for the portal.

“Historian, hold up a minute!” Wind cried as The Sailor and Warriors ran after the creature.

=====

“If you drop me I’m sure to crack, but give me a smile and I’ll always smile back. What am I?” Wind read the translation Historian The Ferret carved onto the stone floor.

“Hmm… what can smile but is very fragile?” Wind crosses his arms as he racked his mind for a plausible answer.

“If we’re talking figuratively, what about someone’s heart?” Wild posed but frowned when Historian The Ferret shook his head feverishly. Warriors had to stifle a giggle at witnessing Wild being told he was wrong by a ferret.

“I don’t think it’s talking figuratively. It has to be something tangible that can literally be dropped and cracked but can smile…” Warriors replied from where he was sitting against the wall. It appeared Historian The Ferret was at a loss as well. As he polished the dagger for the ferret, he noticed his reflection on the blade.

“Wait… I might have something!” The Captain exclaimed, getting the attention of the other heroes. Historian The Ferret watched attentively as Warriors spoke.

“A mirror.”

“I’m not following,” Wild admitted.

“It will crack when dropped and will always smile back because it reflects,” Warriors explained.

“Why didn’t I think of that!” Hyrule laughed.

Immediately, the lettering on the floor began glowing purple as the characters emitted black smoke.

“Here we go. Get ready everyone!” Warriors commanded as he grabbed his sword and shield. Historian The Ferret equipped the dagger into its mouth as the dark vapor morphed into a tall, humanoid being cloaked entirely in heavy black armor. The black knight wielded a large broadsword and shield while a smaller sword remained sheathed at the being’s hip.

“It looks like a knight, but there’s nothing chivalrous about that thing. Take it down and be wary of that massive sword!” Warriors ordered.

With a monstrous grunt, the black knight rushed at Warriors. The Captain was able to stop the charge, but his arms ached wildly under the heavy strain of the black knight’s strength.

“HYAH!” Hyrule called as he ran at the black knight from the side with his Magic Sword.

Easily countering, the hostile knight shoved Warriors back before parrying Hyrule’s blade. As the black knight prepared for another large swing of its massive sword, the being began to shake violently as its armor was engulfed in large sparks of electricity, leading to loud grunts of pain. Warriors and Hyrule turned to see Wild and Wind with their bows out, nocking two more Lightning Arrows. As their electrical strike wore off, the black knight bellowed angrily as it charged towards the archers. Before the knight could get within striking distance, it fell to the floor as it screeched in pain once more. Warriors noticed Historian The Ferret pull its blood-coated dagger out of the eyes of the black knight’s helmet. Hopping off the enemy, Historian The Ferret danced wildly, as if it were indicating to the others to strike.

“It’s blind! Finish it!” Warriors ordered. Immediately, Hyrule unleashed his Thunder spell with a snap of his fingers, lighting the room as the black knight wailed. Not wanting to allow the knight to get back up, Wild and Wind let lose their Lightning Arrows as Hyrule’s spell wore off, showering the knight in additional voltage and causing the being to shake violently enough to begin shedding its heavy armor. Despite the onslaught of their potent electrical attacks, the black knight slowly got to its feet.

“What tha?” Warriors exclaimed.

“Uh guys, what do we do now?” Wind said nervously.

In a roar of lightning, the room illuminated once more as the heroes dove to the floor. The black knight was electrocuted relentlessly. Falling onto its knees, the knight burst into black smoke and disappeared.

Warriors looked up to see residual sparks of electricity coming off of Historian The Ferret, the small animal’s intense eyes reminding The Captain who it really was.

“Heh… thanks babe. We owe you one,” Warriors laughed as he waited for the electricity to dissipate before taking the creature into his arms, pressing a kiss to the ferret’s head as the creature clucked happily. Moments later, a pale light signaled Twilight’s return.

“Ugh… my head…” the rancher moaned as he slowly got to his feet. “What happened?”

“Long story, Twi,” Wild said as he hugged his mentor tightly. Although still confused, Twilight returned The Champion’s embrace.

=====

“Until I am measured, I am not known. Yet you miss me when I have flown. What am I?” Twilight read Historian The Ferret’s translation.

“That’s easy. Time!” Wind chirped, proud that he quickly deduced the riddle’s answer. The heroes realized The Sailor was correct as the original characters spewed forth dark smoke, culminating into a skeletal being armed with a sword and shield.

“Stalfos…” Twilight muttered in irritation. Of all creatures to show, Stalfos was the one creature Twilight did not care to ever encounter. As the undead warrior gave a guttural, amused chuckle, Twilight and Hyrule charged. As the Stalfos blocked their strikes with its rounded shield, Warriors swiftly rolled behind the creature to strike its vulnerable backside, leading the Stalfos to grunt in pain.

“Wild! Now!” Warriors yelled as the three heroes pulled back. Taking aim, The Champion let his Bomb Arrow fly straight into the chest of the skeletal creature, showering the entire room in bits of bone at quickly vanished into smoke.

“Nngh… good thing you boys are good at what you do,” Time said as he stretched his sore body.

“Thank for the compliment, old man,” Warriors chuckled while Historian The Ferret clucked humorously.

=====

“Lovely and round, I shine with pale light, grown in the darkness, a lady’s delight. What am I?” Time read. Historian The Ferret clucked proudly at Time.

“I get the feeling this is related to Legend somehow…” Wind pondered.

“Hmm… Hold up,” Twilight spoke, trying to recall why this was so familiar to him. “Round… shiny… lady’s delight… Legend did mention when he… Guys, I think it’s talking about a pearl.”

Immediately, the etched characters in the stone floor began to glow purple as they hissed dark smoke. The creature that greeted the heroes appeared to be another soldier with a different style of heavy armor from the creature that held Twilight captive. The heroes quickly went onto the defensive as a large, spiked ball landed where they previously stood, causing cracks to form in the stone.

“Looks like a party, boys,” Warriors smirked as he brandished his ball and chain from his enchanted travel gear.

“Oh no, you’re not taking all the fun, pretty boy,” Twilight laughed as he took out his own ball and chain.

“Seriously, guys? We’re in a sealed stone chamber! We don’t need three wrecking balls in here!” Four shouted as he dodged the enemy’s spiked ball.

Aside from Warriors and Twilight, the heroes could only stand back against one of the chamber walls as their two comrades battled the armored being with their respective ball and chains. As Historian The Ferret stood on Time’s shoulder, Wind could not help but giggle at the matching unimpressed expressions on both Time and Historian The Ferret’s faces. As the fight wore on, the chamber began to show signs of instability due to the thrashing of the three spiked balls.

“Guys! We need to finish it up before this chamber collapses!” Time grunted impatiently as the other heroes nervously monitored the growing cracks in the floor and the walls.

“I HAVE HIM!” yelled Warriors.

“NO, I HAVE HIM!” shouted Twilight.

The creature screamed in confusion as its armor and weapon immediately liquified. Recognizing the power at work, Warriors looked over to see Historian The Ferret staring intently at their enemy. With a tail flick, Historian The Ferret transmuted the liquid metal into hundreds of small spikes, commanding the newly forged weapons to impale the armored being. With a bloody scream, the enemy vanished in a burst of smoke. Warriors and Twilight gave the ferret a fearful look while Time turned to give the animal an amused expression.

“Nice…” The Hero of Time complimented, earning a cluck back.

=====

“So, you mean to tell me each of us were rescued after you guys solved a puzzle and defeated an enemy that most likely originated from each of our worlds?” Legend asked.

“That’s right. All that’s left is Sky,” Warriors explained. The heroes were waiting for Historian The Ferret to finish carving the translation of the Hylian text of the final chamber.

“I can’t be bought, but I can be stolen with a glance. I’m worthless to one, but priceless to two. What am I?”

“Hmmm… well, each of our riddles has related to us in some way, so it has to be something related to Sky as a person,” Wind surmised. A clucking noise indicated Historian The Ferret was trying to say something.

“What is it, Historian?” The Sailor asked as he and Warriors knelt. Historian The Ferret began carving once more, prompting the other heroes to gather around to see what he was trying to draw. Quickly, they saw their friend carve a simple heart shape in the stone floor.

“Love…” Warriors whispered, giving a warm glance at his transformed person as the ferret clucked happily.

As expected, the lettering of the riddle began to glow purple and emit black smoke. Not waiting for the monster to surprise them, each hero prepared his weaponry and shield. Historian The Ferret equipped his dagger to his mouth once more as the darkness formed a strange machination in humanoid form. The machine wore a large crown upon its metal head with matching pauldrons on its metallic shoulders. Where the right hand on a human would be was instead a strangely curved hook, while the left hand wielded a strange sword that sported an elongated drill bit in place of the blade. The creature wore odd-looking black and white striped pants with brown boots. As it moved, the machine seemed unsure of its footing.

“What in Hylia’s name is this thing?” Twilight asked.

“It looks like some sort of machine! Which means it might be weak to electricity or ancient Sheikah weaponry!” Wild replied as he prepared his last Ancient Arrow in stock. Before he could take aim, black chains swiftly bound the humanoid machine’s arms and legs, savagely yanking them apart from the machine’s body as sparks and odd, viscous fluids poured from the exposed internals.

Eyes were on Historian The Ferret as the animal donned a familiar dark aura that mimicked the chains. The appearance of the chains was short-lived as the ferret laid on its stomach, dropping the dagger with a faint clang.

“Historian!” Wind shouted, carefully scooping up the animal to look it over.

“I think he’s drained his energy using those powers in that form,” Time said worriedly. “He gave us a head start so let’s finish this thing off and get Sky back!”

=====

In the main chamber, all the heroes were gathered around Warriors, looking on as The Captain cradled the unconscious ferret in his arms.

“Here, War. She’s yours. Let’s get him back,” Sky said gently as he passed the Master Sword to his brother-in-arms. Flashing a grateful smile, Warriors held the Master Sword to Historian The Ferret’s paws. As a bright, warm light engulfed the room, Warriors felt the weight in his arms get heavier as The Historian was returned to his normal, human form.

“W-War…” The Historian spoke weakly, too tired to open his eyes.

“Shh… it’s okay. I’m here. We’re all here,” Warriors whispered gently as he held the limp man to his chest, pressing a gentle kiss to The Historian’s forehead.

“Stay with him, War,” Time ordered. “The rest of us will take care of this.”

“Hehehehe… I’m surprised you all survived those riddles. But now the finale of our game, and I can assure you I won’t be losing. You all belong to me as my next dinner…” the demonic voice called once more.

“How about you show yourself instead of hiding?” Twilight shouted.

“Ha! And ruin the fun? Nonsense, boy,” the voice sneered.

“No… huuf…”

The heroes turned as The Historian struggled to push himself up.

“Hon, you need to rest,” Warriors scolded as he tried to get the smaller man to stay down, but The Historian struggled against him.

“No, not until this is over, and I say its over,” The Historian panted wearily.

“Hehehehe, you’re so drained you can hardly stand up, do your worst, foolish little man!” the voice chortled demonically.

“I’m gonna make you eat those words as I tear you apart,” The Historian spat. Instantly, an array of Benevolence’s orbs appeared.

“Benevolence, shed some light on our dear friend,” The Historian said viciously. At their master’s command, the orbs launched upwards, traveling some distance until striking something on the ceiling. The sound of something large in freefall reached everyone’s ears.

“Everyone, stand back to the far corners of the room!” The Historian ordered. No sooner had the heroes taken to each of the room’s corners when a large, reptilian creature fell hard onto the stone floor, causing large cracks to form.

“Everyone, meet our dear friend that thought it amusing to turn me into a ferret,” The Historian huffed, holding onto Warriors for support. “Now who’s the fool?”

“YOU WRETCHED LITTLE MAN!” the creature screamed. “HOW DID YOU FIND ME?!” The Historian laughed heartily.

“Simple. Your individual rooms were in actuality, different dimensions of the same room offset from one another in space-time, were they not? This allowed you to observe us in every dimension without making your presence easily detectable, well for a human anyway. What truly did you in was transforming me into that furry critter. Surely, you know that a ferret’s hearing is very acute. I could sense you in every room we passed through. Not to mention, this cave goes no further than this room. There was nowhere else for you to hide except far above us.”

“YOU ACCURSED HUMAN! I’LL EAT YOU AND THAT OTHER HUMAN FIRST!” the reptile swiftly turned, its jaws filled with dozens of sharpened teeth as it prepared to bite down on The Historian and Warriors. The magical reptile’s snout was just arm’s length away from the men until a lightning bolt ripped through the monster’s mouth and body. The heroes, who shielded their eyes moments before, saw the exploded carcass of the giant reptile in front of Warriors and The Historian. The smaller man’s eyes were intense as he stared at the corpse of his opponent.

“Never threaten my man or my friends and expect to survive…” he said venomously. The heroes looked over the reptile’s remains to see if there was anything to salvage. Wild noticed a golden orb, no larger than a marble, in the exposed stomach of the creature.

“Don’t touch that.”

Wild pulled his hand back as The Historian walked over with Warriors’ assistance. “That is most likely the treasure this thing was talking about. It probably has a strange power that mutates the holder and gives it certain abilities. This creature was probably a lizard that swallowed the orb and became possessed by its demonic power. If I had to guess, the orb conjured monsters to prey upon the villager’s livestock to keep its current body living until it could find another host. In all likelihood, it wanted to take one of our bodies. Sky, will you do the honors of destroying that awful thing with the Master Sword?”

Sky nodded as he struck the orb with his blade, causing the golden ball to shatter and emit a demonic scream that quickly faded.

“Where do you think it came from?” Wind asked curiously.

“Don’t know. Don’t care,” The Historian huffed before turning to Time. “Can we go back to the village now? I’m starving and all I want to do is cuddle with Warriors and go to sleep,” The Historian grumbled, earning laughter from the heroes he called his friends. Not caring at all that he was in front of the others, The Historian planted a long, sweet kiss on Warriors’ cheek, causing his hero to blush furiously as they went about removing the stone slab blocking the exit.


End file.
